“Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!”

All my life I have loved the sea. My mother says that when first taken to the beach as a toddler, I broke free of her hand and ran straight into the sea- I just didn’t stop- and it nearly gave her a heart-attack!

No matter how fine or foul the weather, no matter how sad or bad I feel, a walk on by the sea will cheer me. The beaches I love best are small coves with a mixture of sand and pebbles, where I can beach-comb and am most likely to be tempted to swim.

 I have always wanted to live close to a little cove and get to know all its moods and seasons, to watch the ebb and flow of the tide and learn how it changes with the seasons and weather.

Every day during my week at Banc Cottage I have spent time by the shore. In a few short days, I have already learned the best time of day for the beaches of Cwm-y-Eglwys and Pwllgwaelod and these became two of my very favourite places, which I returned to again and again. It was here that I finally took to the water and have felt the joy of long slow swims across the bay.

Every beach has such a different character and of course the state of the tide and the time of day makes such a difference. The little beach at Mwnt seemed almost crowded when the waves crept up the sand and everyone kept moving further and further upwards as the tide came in.

There is a tiny little beach close to Banc Cottage which I often walked down to at the end of the day but one evening I discovered it was better to climb up the cliff path and watch the sunset from a better vantage point. The coast faces west, so every clear day I had the chance to watch the sea and sky change colour as the sun sunk into the ocean. Some were pastel and gentle, others red and dramatic- all were beautiful and such a gift to me.

Late one afternoon I found myself near Penbryn. I was a few minutes too late for the cafe but not too late to enjoy the beautiful golden light on the beach. The tide was coming in and it was a bit choppy but I took off my shoes and trousers and splashed around the headland to see the little cove on the other side. I kept a weather eye on the waves and soon decided that I had better return to the main beach.

 The sunshine was catching the tops of the waves as they broke and the sands were golden in the evening light. I changed into my costume and had the most exhilarating time jumping the waves and feeling that brilliant shock as the larger ones broke over me.

At that moment I was brimful of energy and happiness. I felt completely free and absolutely me!